Open, modular, and scalable optical line system

ABSTRACT

A reconfigurable optical add/drop multiplexer (ROADM) includes a plurality of interconnected ROADM blocks. Each ROADM block includes an ingress switchable-gain amplifier, an output power detector coupled to an output of the ingress switchable gain amplifier, and a wavelength-selective switch coupled to the output of the ingress switchable gain amplifier. Each ROADM block includes a plurality of add/drop blocks coupled to the wavelength-selective switches of the plurality of ROADM blocks. The ROADM includes a controller configured to receive an indication of an output signal power from the output power detector and adjust gain and equalization parameters of the ingress switchable-gain amplifier based on the received indication of the output signal power.

BACKGROUND

Reconfigurable optical add/drop multiplexers (ROADMs) perform routing,adding, equalization, and dropping of optical signal in an optical linesystem. ROADMs can include amplifiers for boosting the power of opticalsignals. Many common optical signal amplifiers have non-uniform gaincharacteristics, however. For example, an optical signal amplifieramplifying a broadband optical signal, such as a wavelength-divisionmultiplexing signal, may not amplify all wavelengths of the signalequally. For an optical signal passing through multiple amplifiers in aROADM, through two or more ROADMs, or through one or more lineamplifiers between two ROADMs, the cumulative effect of non-uniformamplification can result in some wavelengths of the signal having toomuch power while other wavelengths have too little power. Equalizationcan be applied to flatten the optical signal based on feedback of thepower spectral density of the signal. Traditionally, however, this hasrequired a closed-loop system between terminal devices in communicationwith each other and sharing a common communication protocol, typicallymeaning that terminal equipment had to be vendor consistent to performfeedback-based control.

SUMMARY

At least one aspect is directed to a reconfigurable optical add/dropmultiplexer (ROADM). The ROADM includes a plurality of interconnectedROADM blocks. Each ROADM block includes an ingress switchable-gainamplifier, an output power detector coupled to an output of the ingressswitchable gain amplifier, and a wavelength-selective switch coupled tothe output of the ingress switchable gain amplifier. The ROADM includesa plurality of add/drop blocks coupled to the wavelength-selectiveswitches of the plurality of ROADM blocks. The ROADM includes acontroller configured to receive an indication of an output signal powerfrom the output power detector and adjust gain and equalizationparameters of the ingress switchable-gain amplifier based on thereceived indication of the output signal power.

At least one aspect is directed to a method of operating areconfigurable optical add/drop multiplexer (ROADM). The method includesreceiving a wavelength-division multiplexing (WDM) optical signal overan optical fiber link at a first ROADM block of a plurality of ROADMblocks. The method includes amplifying the WDM optical signal using theingress switchable-gain amplifier. The method includes detecting anoutput signal power of the amplified WDM optical signal using an outputpower detector coupled to an output of the ingress switchable-gainamplifier. The method includes adjusting, by a controller connected tothe first ROADM block, gain and equalization parameters of the ingressswitchable-gain amplifier based on the detected output signal power. Themethod includes sending, using a wavelength-selective switch of thefirst ROADM block, an optical channel signal from the amplified WDMoptical signal to a second ROADM block of the plurality of ROADM blocks.

These and other aspects and implementations are discussed in detailbelow. The foregoing information and the following detailed descriptioninclude illustrative examples of various aspects and implementations,and provide an overview or framework for understanding the nature andcharacter of the claimed aspects and implementations. The drawingsprovide illustration and a further understanding of the various aspectsand implementations, and are incorporated in and constitute a part ofthis specification.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings are not intended to be drawn to scale. Likereference numbers and designations in the various drawings indicate likeelements. For purposes of clarity, not every component may be labeled inevery drawing. In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a reconfigurable optical add/dropmultiplexer (ROADM), according to an illustrative implementation;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a ROADM block of a ROADM, according to anillustrative implementation;

FIG. 3 is a schematic of an example switchable-gain amplifier for use ina ROADM, according to an illustrative implementation;

FIG. 4 is a schematic of an example switchable-gain amplifier for use ina ROADM, according to an illustrative implementation;

FIG. 5 is block diagram of a Raman module for use in a ROADM, accordingto an illustrative implementation;

FIG. 6 is block diagram of a wavelength-selective switch for use in aROADM, according to an illustrative implementation;

FIG. 7 is block diagram of an add/drop block for use in a ROADM,according to an illustrative implementation;

FIG. 8 is flowchart of an example method of operating a ROADM, accordingto an illustrative implementation; and

FIG. 9 is a block diagram illustrating a general architecture for acomputer system that may be employed to implement elements of thesystems and methods described and illustrated herein, according to anillustrative implementation.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Systems and methods of this disclosure relate generally to areconfigurable optical add/drop multiplexer (ROADM) with one or morelocal feedback control loops. A ROADM can switch traffic of awavelength-division multiplexing (WDM) system at the wavelength layer.For example, the ROADM can add, drop, or route individual or multiplewavelengths carrying data without the need to convert the signals on allof the WDM optical signal channels from the optical domain to theelectronic domain and back.

The addition of local feedback loops within the ROADM allows the ROADMto function as a modular, interchangeable component of an opticaltransport line system. Traditionally, optical transport line systemsinclude end-to-end proprietary software control that requires eachcomponent to communicate with the other components, generally limitingan optical transport line system to equipment from a single vendor. Suchend-to-end dependencies make it difficult or impossible to replace orupgrade an individual component unless the replacement either implementsthe same control scheme (i.e., is from the same vendor and is designedto work with the legacy system) or all other component in the particularcontrol loop are replaced simultaneously.

The ROADM local feedback control loops can maintain the total powerand/or power spectral density flatness across the bandwidth of the WDMsignals within a specified range. This enables interoperability at theoptical component level, because the ROADM controls the output at eachinterface based on analog specifications for the optical signal itself.Several features including, but not limited to, the features set forthbelow enable local control of the ROADM. Not all features are requiredin every embodiment.

The ROADM can employ switchable-gain amplifiers. The amplifiers can beof various types including laser amplifier blocks such as erbium-dopedfiber amplifiers, fiber amplifiers, and Raman amplifiers. Each amplifiercan have switchable gain for controlling the gain and output power ofthe optical signal. The switchable gain can be achieved by usingswitches to direct the optical signal to either a low-gain or ahigh-gain amplifier path. The switchable gain can additionally oralternatively include a variable-gain amplifier.

The ROADM can employ noise loading at selected nodes to add a “dummy” or“null” optical signal to unused channels. This creates a networkcondition similar to a full channel load. The noise loading improvestransient performance, simplifies implementation of node-level (local)control, and allows for easier monitoring of the link's margin withouthaving to perform optical signal-to-noise measurements. In instanceswhere the ROADM does not provide sufficient isolation between the noiseloading channel and the used channels, an additional wavelength blockermay be added in between the noise loading and the ROADM port.

The ROADM can include equalizers or signal flatteners such as a passiveor dynamic-gain equalizer. Because some optical amplifiers have unevengain profiles across their working bandwidth (amplifying somewavelengths more than others), occasional equalization or “flattening”of the signal may be required to maintain all channels ofwavelength-division multiplexed optical signal within a specifiedamplitude range.

The ROADM can include power detectors including taps and photodiodes formonitoring the power of optical signals in the analog domain. The powerdetectors may be equipped to discern power spectral density (power ateach wavelength) or total power only. A controller or optical channelmonitor of the ROADM can use the optical signal power measurements toadjust the settings of the equalizers and the gain of switchable-gainamplifiers to achieve a specified total power and flatness for aninterface of the ROADM.

The ROADM can be made up of several blocks. Each block can include,without limitation, one or more amplifiers, switches, multiplexers,and/or power detectors. Each block of the ROADM can be controlled fortotal power and flatness locally and without software dependenciesbetween blocks. Each block can therefore be equipped with monitoringcapabilities for control purposes, such as the power detectorspreviously described. A controller—either a single central controller,or an individual controller in each block—can receive power measurementsfrom the power detectors and adjust amplifier and equalizer settings asappropriate.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a reconfigurable optical add/dropmultiplexer (ROADM) 100, according to an illustrative implementation.The ROADM 100 includes three ROADM blocks 110 a-110 c (collectively“ROADM blocks 110”). In some implementations, the ROADM 100 can includemore or fewer ROADM blocks 110. The ROADM 100 includes three add/dropblocks 120 a-120 c (collectively “add/drop blocks 120”). In someimplementations, the ROADM 100 can include more or fewer add/drop blocks120. The ROADM 100 includes a controller 140 for coordinating theoperation of the ROADM 100 and its components. In some implementations,the ROADM 100 can optionally include a fiber shuffle panel 130. Thefiber shuffle panel 130 can include passive optical connectors forsimplifying cabling of the ROADM 100; however, it is possible to routecables among the ROADM blocks 110 and add/drop blocks 120 directly andwithout use of the fiber shuffle panel.

Each ROADM block 110 connects to a next-hop network element over anoptical transmission section (OTS) connection via the optical fiberlinks 115 a-115 c (collectively “optical fiber links 115”). Each ROADMblock 110 can send and receive wavelength—division multiplexed (WDM)optical signals over the optical fiber links 115. Each ROADM block 110can demultiplex the WDM optical signal received at its optical fiberlink 115 and transmit each individual optical channel signal to theappropriate destination; e.g., another ROADM block 110 or an add/dropblock 120 a. Similarly, each ROADM block 110 can receive individualoptical channel signals from other ROADM blocks 110 and add/drop blocks120, multiplex them into a WDM optical signal, and transmit the WDMoptical signal over the optical fiber links 115.

Each add/drop block 120 can send and receive individual add/drop opticalchannel signals via the optical fiber links 125 a-125 c (collectively“optical fiber links 125”). The ROADM 100 can add an individual opticalchannel signal received at the optical fiber link 125 to a WDM opticalsignal transmitted from one of the optical fiber links 115. Similarly,the ROADM 100 can break out an individual optical channel signal from aWDM optical signal received at one of the optical fiber links 115, andtransmit the individual optical channel signal via an optical fiber link125.

The ROADM 100 can therefore perform, without limitation, four basicfunctions: (1) a same-direction express function (e.g., conveying anoptical channel signal from optical fiber link 115 a to optical fiberlink 115 c); (2) a different-direction express function (e.g., conveyingan optical channel signal from optical fiber link 115 a to optical fiberlink 115 b); (3) add an optical channel signal to a WDM optical signal(add function); and (4) break out an individual optical channel signalfrom a WDM optical signal (drop function). The ROADM 100 can performadditional functions such as optical signal power detection, opticalsignal amplification, and optical signal equalization, and canadditionally include closed-loop feedback control of optical signaltotal power and power spectral density. These additional functions andthe structures that facilitate them are described in further detailbelow with regard to FIGS. 2-9.

The ROADM 100 can be a colorless-directionless-contentionlessarchitecture. Colorless means that the ROADM 100 can send or receive anywavelength on any port. Directionless means that the ROADM 100 can routea wavelength across any connected fiber path (also called degree).Contentionless means that the ROADM 100 can add or drop two opticalsignals having the same wavelength (i.e., an optical signal will notblock another optical signal having the same wavelength) if they aredestined for different fiber paths.

The controller 140 can coordinate the functions of the ROADM 100 and itscomponents. In some implementations, the controller 140 can include asingle central processing unit that can monitor and control each moduleor block of the ROADM 100 including the ROADM blocks 110 and theadd/drop blocks 120. In some implementations, the controller 140 caninclude distributed processors local to each block or module forperforming local monitoring and control of the block or module. In someimplementations, the controller 140 can include a combination of centraland distributed components. The controller 140 can be implemented in, orinclude, one or more computer systems such as the computer system 900described in more detail below with regard to FIG. 9.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a ROADM block 110 of a ROADM 100, accordingto an illustrative implementation. The ROADM block 110 includes a ROADMmodule 205 and a line module 210. The ROADM block 110 can optionallyinclude a Raman amplifier module 215 for amplifying an incoming WDMoptical signal received over the optical fiber links 115. The ROADMblock 110 can demultiplex the WDM optical signal into individual opticalchannel signals and send them to another ROADM block 110 or an add/dropblock 120 over optical fiber links 220 a and 220 b (collectively“optical fiber links 220”). The ROADM block 110 can multiplex theoptical channel signals received over optical fiber links 220 from otherROADM blocks 110 or the add/drop blocks 120 into a second WDM opticalsignal, and transmit the second WDM optical signal via the optical fiberlink 115.

The ROADM module 205 includes one or more wavelength-selective switch(WSS) blocks 225 a and 225 b (collectively “WSS blocks 225”). The WSSblock 225 can demultiplex a WDM optical signal into individual opticalchannel signals. The WSS block 225 can route any individual opticalchannel signals to any port. The WSS block 225 can also multiplexindividual optical channel signals into a WDM optical signal. In someimplementations, the ROADM 100 can handle optical signals in more thanone frequency or wavelength band. In some implementations, the ROADM 100can handle optical signals in both the C-band and the L-band. The ROADMmodule 205 can include a WSS block 225 a for multiplexing anddemultiplexing C-band optical channel signals, and a WSS block 225 b formultiplexing and demultiplexing L-band optical channel signals. Inimplementations of the ROADM module 205 that include multiple WSS blocks225, the ROADM module 205 can include a multiplexer/demultiplexer (MUX)(also referred to as a C/L band splitter/combiner) 230. The MUX 230 canmultiplex and demultiplex two or more WDM optical signals carryingoptical channel signals in different frequency bands.

In some implementations, the ROADM module 205 can optionally include oneor more noise amplifiers 235 a and 235 b (collectively “noise amplifiers235”). The noise amplifiers 235 can add a “dummy” or “null” opticalsignal to one or more unused ports of the WSS block 225. Inimplementations where the ROADM 100 can handle optical signals in twofrequency bands, each WSS block 225 may be associated with noiseamplifiers 235 that can produce an optical signal in the frequency bandhandled by the WSS block 225. The WSS blocks 225 and the noiseamplifiers 235 are discussed in further detail below with regard to FIG.6.

The line module 210 includes one or more egress amplifiers 240 a and 240b (collectively “egress amplifiers 240”), and one or more ingressamplifiers 245 a and 245 b (collectively “ingress amplifiers 245”). Theegress amplifiers 240 amplify an outgoing WDM optical signal. Theingress amplifiers 245 amplify an incoming WDM optical signal. In someimplementations, the ROADM 100 can handle optical signals in more thanone frequency or wavelength band. In some implementations, the ROADM 100can handle optical signals in both the C-band and the L-band. The linemodule 210 can include an egress amplifier 240 a for amplifying anoutgoing C-band WDM optical signal, and an egress amplifier 240 b foramplifying an outgoing L-band WDM optical signal. Similarly, the linemodule 210 can include an ingress amplifier 245 a for amplifying anincoming C-band WDM optical signal, and an ingress amplifier 245 b foramplifying an incoming L-band WDM optical signal. In implementations ofthe line module 210 that include multiple egress amplifiers 240 andingress amplifiers 245, the line module 210 can include a MUX 250 and aMUX 255 for multiplexing and demultiplexing two or more WDM opticalsignals carrying optical channel signals in different frequency bands.The egress amplifiers 240 and ingress amplifiers 245 can beswitchable-gain amplifiers such as those described in further detailbelow with respect to FIGS. 3 and 4.

In some implementations, the line module 210 can optionally include anoptical time-domain reflectometer (OTDR) 260 and an optical supervisorychannel (OSC) 262. The OTDR 260 can use optical time-domainreflectometry to detect and locate a discontinuity along an opticalchannel, including on an optical fiber link outside of the ROADM 100.For example, a damaged or severed optical fiber will have adiscontinuity of refractive index at the break that will reflect aportion of an optical signal traveling in the fiber. The OTDR 260 candetect the reflection and hence detect the discontinuity. The OTDR 260can measure time elapsed between transmission of a test signal andreceipt of the resulting reflection, and calculate the distance to thediscontinuity based on the speed of light through the optical fiber.

The OSC 262 is device in the ROADM 100 that can use an additionalwavelength, possibly outside of the bandwidth of the ROADM 100amplifiers, send and receive information about optical signals on theline and for exchanging conditions of equipment at each terminal of anoptical fiber link.

In some implementations, the line module 210 can optionally include oneor more optical channel monitors (OCMs) 265 a and 265 b (collectively“OCMs 265”). The OCM 265 can measure wavelength, power, and opticalsignal-to-noise ratio (OSNR) of an optical channel without directlylooking at the sequence of bits carried by channel. In someimplementations, the OCM 265 can receive optical signal powermeasurements from optical signal power detectors such as the powerdetector 310 described below with regard to FIG. 3. The OCMs 265 and thecontroller 140 can use the measured optical signal power to determinewhether to employ equalization on an optical signal passing through theROADM block 110. In some implementations, the line module 210 caninclude an OCM 265 for each signal band passing through the line module210. In some implementations, the OCM 265 a can monitor C-band opticalsignals and the OCM 265 b can monitor L-band optical signals.

In some implementations, the line module 210 can optionally include aRaman amplifier module 215. The Raman amplifier module 215 can amplifysignals received or transmitted over the optical fiber link 115. TheRaman amplifier module 215 is described in further detail below withregard to FIG. 5.

FIG. 3 is a schematic of an example switchable-gain amplifier 300 foruse in a ROADM 100, according to an illustrative implementation. Theswitchable-gain amplifier 300 can be used as an egress amplifier 240, aningress amplifier 245, or as one amplifier of the amplifier array 710 ofthe add/drop block 120 further described with respect to FIG. 7 below.The switchable-gain amplifier 300 can amplify an optical signal withvarious levels of gain and, in some implementations, apply equalizationas well. The switchable-gain amplifier 300 includes a low-gain path anda high-gain path. The switchable-gain amplifier 300 additionallyincludes a flat-gain path and a dynamic gain equalization path. Theswitchable-gain amplifier 300 can switch between the various gain modes.

The switchable-gain amplifier 300 includes an input power detector 310at the input 305. The input power detector 310 can include a tap and aphotodetector. The tap can split a small portion of the input opticalsignal at the input 305 and direct it to the photodetector. Thephotodetector can include a photodiode or other light-sensitivesemiconductor, sensor, or device. In some implementations, the inputpower detector 305 can discern power spectral density. That is, theinput power detector 310 can determine the power level at differentwavelengths of a WDM optical signal. In some implementations, the inputpower detector 310 can only discern total power density.

In some implementations, the switchable-gain amplifier 300 may be on theedge of the ROADM 100; i.e., the input 305 of the switchable-gainamplifier 300 may directly connect to the optical fiber link 115. Insuch implementations, the input power detector 310 is effectively at theinput of the ROADM 100, and can be used to ensure that an incomingsignal at the optical fiber link 115 is within expected parameters foramplitude and flatness. If the incoming optical signal is not withinthose parameters, the controller 140 and/or the optical channel monitor265 may determine that something outside of the ROADM 100—e.g., theoptical fiber link 115 or remote equipment sharing the optical fiberlink 115—has failed. The OSC/OTDR 260 may be able to provide additionalinformation about the failure and its location. The controller 140and/or the optical channel monitor 265 can issue an alarm indicating apossible issue involving the optical fiber link 115 or a neighboringnetwork element on the optical fiber link 115.

The switchable-gain amplifier 300 includes switches 315, 320, 325, and330. The switches 315, 320, 325, and 330 can route the optical signalthrough the low- or high-gain amplifier blocks, and through anequalizing or non-equalizing attenuator. The first switch 315 can routethe optical signal to the first-stage low-gain amplifier block 335 orhigh-gain amplifier block 340. The second switch 320 can receive theoptical signal from the selected first-stage amplifier block and routeit to either the wavelength blocker 345 or the variable opticalattenuator (VOA) 350.

The wavelength blocker 345 can equalize the optical signal byselectively attenuating one or more wavelengths. Placing the wavelengthblocker 345 between the first and second gain stages can preserve outputpower relative to placement after the second gain stage. Placing thewavelength blocker 345 between the first and second gain stages can alsominimize optical signal-to-noise penalty by compounding the span losswith the wavelength blocker 345 insertion loss. In some implementations,however, the wavelength blocker 345 can be placed before or after thefirst and second gain stages. The wavelength blocker 345 is aspectrally-selective device, capable of providing a given attenuation(or even completely block) across a range of frequencies, with aspecified frequency-resolution.

The third switch 325 can receive the optical signal from the selectedattenuator and route it to the second-stage low-gain amplifier block 355or high-gain amplifier block 360. The fourth switch 330 can receive theoptical signal from the selected second-stage amplifier block and routeit to the output 370. The switchable-gain amplifier 300 includes anoutput power detector 365. The output power detector 365 is similar tothe input power detector 310. The output power detector 365 includes atap and a photodetector. The tap can split a small portion of the inputoptical signal from the output 370 and direct it to the photodetector.The photodetector can include a photodiode or other light-sensitivesemiconductor, sensor, or device. In some implementations, the outputpower detector 365 can discern power spectral density. That is, theoutput power detector 365 can determine the power level of differentfrequency components of a WDM optical signal. In some implementations,the output power detector 365 can only discern total power density.

In some implementations, one or more of the amplifiers 335, 340, 355,and 360 can be a laser optical amplifier, such as an erbium-doped fiberamplifier (EDFA). In some implementations, the amplifier can include amedium doped with a transition metal or other rare-earth element. Theswitchable-gain amplifier 300 can include EDFAs having different gainsin the low-gain path and the high-gain path, respectively. EDFAs andsimilar amplifiers may not have a perfectly linear gain profile. Inother words, when amplifying an optical signal having a finitebandwidth, the amplifier may amplify some wavelengths of the opticalsignal more than others. Amplifying an optical signal with multiplesimilar amplifiers in series without equalization can lead to a largecumulative disparity in channel power. Therefore, it may be beneficialto perform equalization of the signal at the amplifier. In someimplementations, the output power detector 365 can discern powerspectral density. Using the power spectral density information, thecontroller 140 and/or the OCM 265 can determine whether it would bedesirable to flatten or equalize the optical signal. The decision toswitch the wavelength blocker 345 into the circuit involves a trade-offbetween improving the optical signal flatness versus the attenuation ofthe optical signal caused by the wavelength blocker. If the controller140 and/or the OCM 265 determines that optical signal flattening isdesirable, it can set the switches 320 and 325 to route the opticalsignal through the wavelength blocker 345. The controller 140 and/or theOCM 265 can then control the wavelength blocker 345 to apply the desiredwavelength-selective attenuation on the optical signal. In someimplementations, the equalization can be controlled to keep the gainflatness to 1 dB across all channels of the WDM optical signal. If thecontroller 140 and/or the OCM 265 determine that equalization is notnecessary, the controller 140 and/or the OCM 265 can route the opticalsignal through the variable optical attenuator 350, or bypass both ofthe wavelength blocker 345 and the VOA 350. The controller 140 and/orthe OCM 265 can then set the variable optical attenuator 350 toattenuate the optical signal by the desired amount, including possiblyzero attenuation.

The controller 140 and/or the OCM 265 can facilitate various modes ofcontrol. In some implementations, the ROADM 100 can have aset-and-forget control mode in which amplification and equalizationparameters are set at a time of installation or initialization, and keptconstant through the life of the ROADM 100 or until a modification,upgrade, or repair alters the hardware configuration or response of theROADM 100. The set-and-forget control mode can benefit from noiseloading as discussed in detail below with regard to the noise loadingamplifiers 235 in FIG. 6. In some implementations, the ROADM 100 canhave a continuous or real-time control mode. In continuous controlmodes, the controller 140 and/or the OCM 265 can receive two or morereal-time inputs; e.g., from each input power detector 305 and outputpower detector 365. The controller 140 and/or the OCM 265 can monitorthe input power detector 305 and transmit an alert or alarm if theincoming WDM optical signal is not within expected parameters; forexample, the optical signal total power is too low or the power spectraldensity is too uneven across its bandwidth. The controller 140 and/orthe OCM 265 can monitor the output power detector 365 and apply feedbackto constrain the output signal power to a user-defined function byaltering the gain and equalization of the switchable-gain amplifier 300.The user-defined function can specify the desired output optical signalpower distribution. In some implementations, the user-function can bespecified as power versus wavelength, power versus the inverse of thewavelength, power versus wavelength squared, or any other one-to-onemapping between power and wavelength/frequency. The continuous controlmodes can also benefit from the noise loading, discussed in detail belowwith regard to the noise loading amplifiers 235 in FIG. 6, which canimprove the transient response and linearity of the switchable-gainamplifier 300. In a configuration where the link is operated byinteraction with a software-defined network controller, the controlscheme would be as follows. The SDN controller would configure the links(with components such as amplifiers, ROADMs, MCSs) for parameters suchas gain, power spectral density targets, spectral slots to open. Thelinks would then be monitored by means of telemetry. Any dramatic changein link conditions (due to a fiber cut, or a significant change in fiberloss) would result in the traffic traversing the link being reroutedalong a different path. The controller would then re-optimize the link'sparameters settings, and upon re-configuration, switch the previoustraffic back onto the link. The re-optimization would rely uponestimates of the fiber losses derived through the amplifiers' input andoutput power monitors, as well as through any Raman gain signals (in thecase Raman amplification is used on a subset of spans). These would inturn lead to a derivation of the new optimum launch powers for the link.

The amplifiers 335, 340, 355, and 360 can be fixed-gain or variable-gainamplifiers. Using a variable-gain amplifier can provide a more precisegain setting; however, fixed-gain amplifiers can be simpler, cheaper,and more efficient. In some implementations, fixed-gain low-gainamplifiers 335 and 355 can provide about 15 dB of gain. In someimplementations, fixed-gain high-gain amplifiers 340 and 360 can provideabout 22 dB of gain. In some implementations, variable-gain low-gainamplifiers 335 and 355 can provide about 10-18 dB of gain. In someimplementations, variable-gain high-gain amplifiers 340 and 360 canprovide about 16-24 dB of gain. Other gain values can be chose asappropriate for the particular design without departing from the scopeof this disclosure. Implementations of the switchable-gain amplifier 300that include variable-gain amplifiers may not need a variable opticalattenuator 350. In such implementations, the switchable-gain amplifiercan have a simplified design such as the design of the switchable-gainamplifier 400 described below with respect to FIG. 4.

FIG. 4 is a schematic of an example switchable-gain amplifier 400 foruse in a ROADM 100, according to an illustrative implementation. Theswitchable-gain amplifier 400 is similar to the switchable-gainamplifier 300, but differs in that it has only a wavelength blocker 445,but no variable optical attenuator. The switchable-gain amplifier 400can be used as an egress amplifier 240, an ingress amplifier 245, or asan amplifier of the amplifier array 710 further described below withrespect to FIG. 7. The switchable-gain amplifier 400 can amplify anoptical signal with various levels of gain and, in some implementations,apply equalization as well. The switchable-gain amplifier 400 can switchbetween a low-gain path and a high-gain path, and includes a wavelengthblocker 445 for performing wavelength-selective attenuation on theoptical signal.

The switchable-gain amplifier 400 includes an input power detector 410.The input power detector 410 can include a tap and a photodetector. Thetap can split a small portion of the input optical signal from the input405 and direct it to the photodetector. The photodetector can include aphotodiode or other light-sensitive semiconductor, sensor, or device. Insome implementations, the input power detector 410 can discern powerspectral density. That is, the input power detector 410 can determinethe power level of different frequency components of a WDM opticalsignal. In some implementations, the input power detector 410 can onlydiscern total power density.

The switchable-gain amplifier 400 includes switches 415, 420, 425, and430. The switches 415, 420, 425, and 430 can route the optical signalthrough the low- or high-gain amplifier blocks, and through thewavelength blocker 445. The first switch 415 can route the opticalsignal to the first-stage low-gain amplifier block 435 or high-gainamplifier block 440. The second switch 420 can receive the opticalsignal from the selected first-stage amplifier block and route it to thewavelength blocker 445. The wavelength blocker 445 can be similar to thewavelength blocker 345 discussed above with regard to FIG. 3.

The third switch 425 can receive the optical signal from the wavelengthblocker 445 and route it to the second-stage low-gain amplifier block455 or high-gain amplifier block 460. The fourth switch 430 can receivethe optical signal from the selected second-stage amplifier block androute it to the output 470. The switchable-gain amplifier 400 includesan output power detector 465. The output power detector 465 can besimilar to the input power detector 410. The output power detector 465can include a tap and a photodetector. The tap can split a small portionof the input optical signal from the output 470 and direct it to thephotodetector. The photodetector can include a photodiode or otherlight-sensitive semiconductor, sensor, or device. In someimplementations, the output power detector 465 can discern powerspectral density. That is, the output power detector 465 can determinethe power level of different frequency components of a WDM opticalsignal. Control of the components of the switchable-gain amplifier 400can be similar to that described above with respect to theswitchable-gain amplifier 300, including gain path selection, control ofthe wavelength blocker 445, and detection of failures outside of theROADM 100.

FIG. 5 is block diagram of a Raman amplifier module 215 for use in aROADM 100, according to an illustrative implementation. The Ramanamplifier module 215 can amplify incoming and/or outgoing signals on theoptical fiber link 115. The Raman amplifier module 215 includes an inputpower detector 505, a light source 510 coupled to the fiber optic linevia a coupler 515, and an output power detector 520. The Raman amplifiermodule 215 can send the amplified optical signal to the line module 210over the optical fiber link 525.

The Raman amplifier module 215 can use stimulated Raman scattering in anoptical fiber or other Raman-active medium to amplify an optical signal.The light source 510 can emit light at a specific wavelength that isslightly offset from the wavelength of the signal to be amplified. Thelight source 510 can be a monochromatic or narrow bandwidth light sourcesuch as a laser. In some implementations, the Raman amplifier module 215can include a backwards-pumping Raman gain block. Light from the lightsource 510 can be pumped into the optical fiber of the optical fiberlink 115 using the coupler 515. In some implementations, the coupler 515can direct the pumped light in a direction towards the optical fiberlink 115, where stimulated Raman scattering can occur. In someimplementations, the coupler 515 can direct the pumped light in adirection towards the optical fiber link 525, where stimulated Ramanscattering can occur. In some implementations, the Raman amplifiermodule 215 can include a dedicated length of optical fiber or othermedium separate and distinct from the optical fiber links 115 and 525for performing the Raman amplification. A gain of the Raman amplifiermodule 215 can be controlled by adjusting the wavelength and/orintensity of the light source 510.

The input power detector 505 can be used to monitor whether the incomingsignal over the optical fiber link 115 is within expected parameters foramplitude and flatness. In implementations of the ROADM 100 that includethe Raman amplifier module 215, the input power detector 505 can monitorthe input and/or output of the ROADM 100. If the input signal asmeasured by the input power detector 505 deviates sufficiently fromexpected parameters, the controller 140 and/or the optical channelmonitor 265 may determine that something outside of the ROADM 100—e.g.,the optical fiber link 115 or remote equipment sharing the optical fiberlink 115—has failed. The OSC/OTDR 260 may be able to provide additionalinformation about the failure and its location. The controller 140and/or the optical channel monitor 265 can issue an alarm indicating apossible issue involving the optical fiber link 115 or a neighboringnetwork element on the optical fiber link 115.

The output power detector 520 can measure the output optical signaltransmitted to the line module 210 over the optical fiber link 525.Based on the power measured by the output power detector 520, thecontroller 140 and/or the optical channel monitor 265 can adjust thelight source 510 to set the power of the optical signal transmitted overthe optical fiber links 525.

FIG. 6 is block diagram of a wavelength-selective switch (WSS) block 225for use in a ROADM 100, according to an illustrative implementation. TheWSS block 225 can demultiplex a WDM optical signal received from theline module 210 over the optical fiber link 605 into individual opticalchannel signals transmitted over the optical fiber links 220. The WSSblock 225 can route any individual optical channel signals to any port.The WSS block 225 can also multiplex optical channel signals receivedover the optical fiber links 220 into a WDM optical signal transmittedover the optical fiber link 605. The WSS block 225 includes an inputpower detector 610, a WSS 615, and output power detectors 620. In theimplementation shown in FIG. 6, the power detectors 610 and 620 arebuilt into the WSS block 225. In some implementations, however, thepower detectors 610 and 620 are discrete units external to the WSS block225. In some implementations, the WSS 615 can be a 1×20, 1×24, or a 1×32optical switch.

The WSS block 225 can include one or more optical attenuators 625 forattenuating the optical signals on one or both of the optical fiber link605 or the optical fiber links 220. The optical attenuator 625 can havea fixed or variable attenuation, and can be switched in or out of thecircuit by the controller 140 and/or the optical channel monitor 265.The controller 140 and/or the optical channel monitor 265 can switch oradjust the attenuation of the optical attenuator 625 based on theoptical power levels indicated by the power detectors 610 and 620. Thecontroller 140 can also provide an alert if one of the power detectors610 or 620 measures an optical power level of a signal incoming to theWSS block 225 that has a power level above or below an expected level.Such a deviant measurement could indicate a failure in another part ofthe ROADM 100.

In some implementations, each WSS block 225 can include noise loadingamplifiers 235 that can be connected to each unused port of the WSS 615.The noise loading amplifiers 235 can inject a “null” or “dummy” signalinto each unused port of the WSS 615. In some implementations, the noiseloading amplifiers 235 can be implemented in arrays of two, four, eight,or other number of noise loading amplifiers 235 per noise loadingamplifier module. Each noise loading amplifier 235 can be coupled to aport of the WSS 615. Noise loading can improve the linearity andtransient response of the ROADM 100, and can help to facilitateset-and-forget control of ROADM 100 components.

The gain of an optical amplifier may vary depending on the amplitude andbandwidth of the input signal. For example, the response of an opticalamplifier amplifying a WDM optical signal may change depending onwhether all or only some of the possible channels of the WDM opticalsignal are occupied. Noise loading using amplified spontaneous emission(ASE) can occupy the empty spectrum in a transport link. This canproduce an accurate estimate of the nonlinear penalty of the link underfull-load (as long as the noise matches the power spectral densitychannels would have achieved, despite the difference in spectral shape).This noise source could be implemented with an erbium-doped fiberamplifier (EDFA) in open-loop at the transmit node, for each ROADM block110. At every ROADM block 110 (where traffic is added and dropped), theASE noise can be filtered out, and added again at the next line-facingWSS block 225.

By employing noise loading to populate the unused channels and maintaina WDM optical signal that appears full to the amplifiers, theperformance of the amplifiers can be kept constant and predictable bothover the life of the ROADM 100 as the optical channels fill up and theROADM 100 reaches full capacity, and in response to transient opticalchannel signals appearing and disappearing.

Noise loading unused optical channels of the ROADM 100 at the time ofinstallation allows amplifier parameters to be set such that the desiredoutput optical signal power amplitude and flatness can remain relativelyconstant over the life of the ROADM 100 despite increased channelloading over time. In some implementations, this can allow forset-and-forget operation, where amplifier parameters are set at the timeof installation of the ROADM 100 and left constant unless a hardwarefailure or other issue necessitates a recalibration of the ROADM 100.

Noise loading can also help the ROADM maintain constant and predictableperformance in response to transient optical channel signals appearingand disappearing. With regard to (b), in absence of noise loading,adding (or removing) an optical channel signal to a WDM optical signalmay change the apparent amplitude or flatness of the WDM optical signal.The response of an optical amplifier amplifying the WDM optical signalmay shift as a result of this transient such that the output of theROADM 100 may deviate from the desired optical power amplitude andflatness. With noise loading, however, a new optical channel signalsimply replaces the dummy signal previously maintained by the noiseloading amplifier 235, and the WDM optical signal retains the sameamplitude and flatness despite the added channel. This can mitigate theeffects of transients and keeps the gain of the amplifier, and thus theoutput of the ROADM 100, relatively constant despite changes in channelloading.

Noise loading also allows for enhanced monitoring of opticalsignal-to-noise ratio (OSNR) by the optical channel monitors 265.Variation in the quality factor (Q) of a WDM optical signal can dependon both the proportion of channels occupied and the OSNR. With noiseloading, all channels of the WDM optical signal appear full, thus anychange in Q will primarily result from a change in OSNR. Thus the noiseloading can facilitate instantaneous OSNR monitoring in a non-intrusivefashion. Monitoring the OSNR allows the ROADM 100 to track aging of itsindividual components including the line modules 210.

FIG. 7 is block diagram of an add/drop block 120 for use in a ROADM 100,according to an illustrative implementation. The add/drop block 120 canreceive optical channel signals over the optical fiber links 220,amplify them, and route them to optical fiber links 125. Breaking out anindividual optical channel signal from the WDM optical signal can bereferred to as drop functionality. The add/drop block 120 can receiveoptical channel signals over the optical fiber links 125, amplify them,and route them to optical fiber links 220. Adding an individual opticalchannel signal to a WDM optical signal can be referred to as addfunctionality. The add/drop block 120 can include one or more amplifierarrays 710 a and 710 b (collectively “amplifier arrays 710”) and one ormore multicast switches 720. In some implementations, the amplifierarrays 710 can have a modular design with two, four, or eight amplifiersin each direction on an amplifier array module. Each amplifier of theamplifier arrays 710 can achieve a gain as high as 23 dB, which cansupport a large number of add/drop ports and higher baud rate terminaloptics. Each amplifier array 710 can include optical power detectors 715a or 715 b (collectively “optical power detectors 715”) at the input andoutput of each amplifier. The multicast switch 720 can include anoptical power detector 725 at each port.

Each amplifier of the amplifier arrays 710 can be a switchable-gainamplifier 300 or 400 as described above with respect to FIG. 3 or 4. Insome implementations, each amplifier can be a simplified version of theswitchable-gain amplifier 300 or 400 that includes low-gain andhigh-gain paths, but does not include a wavelength blocker such aswavelength blocker 345. In some implementations, each amplifier mayinclude a variable optical attenuator such as VOA 350. In someimplementations, each amplifier may include variable optical attenuatorand only a single gain path. The optical power detectors 715 can measurethe power of the optical signals before and after each amplifier. Thecontroller 140 can adjust the gain of individual amplifiers to maintainthe add/drop signals sent and received over the optical fiber links 220at the desired amplitude. In some implementations, the controller 140can use measurements of incoming optical signal power over the opticalfiber links 220 to determine whether there is a failure elsewhere in theROADM 100.

The amplifiers of the amplifier arrays 710 may not require equalizationbecause, unlike the egress and ingress amplifiers of the ROADM block110, the add/drop block 120 does not handle WDM optical signals, butrather the relatively narrower band optical fiber links 125.Furthermore, optical signals traversing the add/drop block 120 may notexperience cascaded optical amplifiers that would compound thewavelength-dependent effects of the amplifiers. Rather, an opticalsignal traversing the add/drop block 120 may only pass through a singleamplifier stage either before leaving the optical line system or afterjoining the optical line system. In contrast, when a WDM optical signaltraverses a ROADM 100, it can pass through two or more opticalamplifiers (for example, in ROADM block 110 a and ROADM block 110 c). Ifthe WDM optical signal traverses multiple ROADMs 100 withoutequalization, the power differential between different wavelengths ofthe WDM optical signal may result in an individual optical channelsignal having a power that is too high or too low.

The multicast switch 720 can include one or more optical switches 730 aand 730 b (collectively “optical switches 730”) and optical powerdetectors 725 a or 725 b (collectively “optical power detectors 725”) ateach port of the optical switches 730. In some implementations, theoptical switches 730 can be 4×32 optical switches. Multiple opticalswitches 730 can be combined for an overall 16×32 switch. In someimplementations, other numbers of optical switches 730 having differentnumbers of inputs and outputs can be combined to create differentmulticast switch 720 configurations.

In some implementations, the multicast switch 720 can include a variableoptical attenuator. The optical power detectors 725 can measure thepower of the optical signals before and after each amplifier. Thecontroller 140 can adjust the gain of individual amplifiers to maintainthe add/drop signals sent and received over the optical fiber links 125at the desired amplitude. In some implementations, the controller 140can use measurements of incoming optical signal power over the opticalfiber links 125 to determine whether a failure has occurred withequipment downstream from the ROADM 100 along the optical fiber links125.

In some implementations, it may only be necessary to have optical powerdetectors at the edges of the add/drop block 120. That is, it may onlybe necessary to include optical power detectors 715 and 725 at oradjacent to the interfaces with the optical fiber links 220 and theoptical fiber links 125. In this configuration, the controller 140 canset gain and attenuation parameters for each channel based on themeasurements from the optical power detectors 715 and 725 and thecontroller's 140 knowledge of the switching state of the opticalswitches 730.

FIG. 8 is flowchart of an example method 800 of operating a ROADM 100,according to an illustrative implementation. The method 800 includesreceiving a wavelength-division multiplexing (WDM) optical signal at afirst ROADM block 110 (stage 810). The method 800 can optionally includedetecting an input signal power of the WDM optical signal using an inputpower detector coupled to an input of an ingress switchable-gainamplifier of the first ROADM block (stage 820). The method 800 canoptionally include determining, by a controller of the ROADM, that theindication of the input signal power is outside of a specified opticalpower range (decision block 830). If the input signal power is outsideof the specified optical power range, the method 800 includes issuing analert by the controller (stage 840). If the input signal power is withinthe specified optical power range, the method 800 proceeds to stage 850.The method 800 includes amplifying the WDM optical signal using theingress switchable-gain amplifier (stage 850). The method 800 includesdetecting an output signal power of the amplified WDM optical signalusing an output power detector coupled to an output of the ingressswitchable-gain amplifier (stage 860). The method 800 includesadjusting, by a controller connected to the first ROADM block, gain andequalization parameters of the ingress switchable-gain amplifier basedon the detected output signal power (stage 870). Based on the selectionin stage 870, the method 800 includes setting the gain and equalizationparameters of the ingress switchable-gain amplifier in stage 850. Themethod 800 includes sending, using a wavelength-selective switch of thefirst ROADM block, an optical channel signal from the amplified WDMoptical signal to a second ROADM block of the plurality of ROADM blocks(stage 880).

The method 800 includes receiving a wavelength-division multiplexing(WDM) optical signal at a first ROADM block 110 (stage 810). The ROADMblock 110 can receive the WDM optical signal over an optical fiber link115. In some implementations, the method 800 can include amplifying theWDM optical signal with a Raman amplifier coupled between the ROADMblock 110 and the optical fiber link 115.

The method 800 can optionally include detecting an input signal power ofthe WDM optical signal using an input power detector coupled to an inputof an ingress switchable-gain amplifier of the first ROADM block (stage820). In some implementations, the WDM optical signal can be received ata switchable-gain amplifier of the ROADM block 110, such as theswitchable-gain amplifier 300 or 400. The input power detector 310 or410 can detect the optical signal power of the WDM optical signal. Insome implementations, the method 800 can include amplifying the WDMoptical signal with a Raman amplifier coupled between the ROADM block110 and the optical fiber link 115. In ROADM implementations including aRaman amplifier, the Raman amplifier module 215 can include an inputpower detector 505 for detecting the input signal power of the WDMoptical signal.

The method 800 can include determining, by a controller of the ROADM,that the indication of the input signal power is outside of a specifiedoptical power range (decision block 830). In some implementations, acontroller 140 or an optical channel monitor 265 can receive themeasured optical power level and determine whether the WDM opticalsignal is within acceptable parameters for absolute power amplitude andpower spectral density. If the input signal power is outside of thespecified optical power range, the method 800 includes issuing an alertby the controller 140 or the optical channel monitor 265 (stage 840). Insome implementations, the second ROADM block 110 can monitor a conditionof the optical fiber link 115 using an optical time-domain reflectometer(OTDR) 260. The OTDR can monitor a condition of the optical fiber link115 and remote equipment along the link and, in the event of a linkfailure, provide a notification including the location of the failure.If the controller 140 or the optical channel monitor 265 issues an alertdue to an out-of-spec input optical power as determined at decisionblock 830, the alert can include information regarding the condition ofthe optical fiber link as determined by the OTDR 260. If the inputsignal power is within the specified optical power range, the method 800proceeds to stage 850.

The method 800 includes amplifying the WDM optical signal using theingress switchable-gain amplifier (stage 850). The ROADM block 110 canamplify the WDM optical signal with a switchable-gain amplifier such asthe switchable-gain amplifier 300 or 400. Based on an output opticalsignal power as detected at stage 860 below, the controller 140 or theoptical channel monitor 265 can adjust gain parameters (includingselecting the low-gain path or the high-gain path) of theswitchable-gain amplifier 300 or 400 at stage 870 below. In someimplementations, the controller 140 or the optical channel monitor 265can adjust the equalization parameters of the switchable-gain amplifier300 or 400.

The method 800 includes detecting an output signal power of theamplified WDM optical signal using an output power detector coupled toan output of the ingress switchable-gain amplifier (stage 860). Theswitchable-gain amplifier 300 or 400 of the ROADM block 110 can includean output power detector 365 or 465. In some implementations, the outputpower detector 365 or 465 can detect total power amplitude or powerspectral density (i.e., power at each wavelength). The output powerdetector 365 or 465 can send an indication of the output signal power tothe controller 140 or the optical channel monitor 265. In someimplementations, the indication of the output signal power can includeinformation regarding power spectral density.

The method 800 includes adjusting, by a controller connected to thefirst ROADM block, gain and equalization parameters of the ingressswitchable-gain amplifier based on the detected output signal power(stage 870). The controller 140 or the optical channel monitor 265 canreceive the indication of the output signal power from the output powerdetector 365 or 465. Based on the selection in stage 870, the method 800includes adjusting the gain and equalization parameters of the ingressswitchable-gain amplifier in stage 850. The controller 140 or theoptical channel monitor 265 can use the information to select either thelow-gain path or the high-gain path for amplification in stage 850. Insome implementations, the switchable-gain amplifier 300 or 400 caninclude a wavelength blocker 345 to compensate for wavelength-basednonlinearities of the optical amplifiers. The controller 140 or theoptical channel monitor 265 can adjust the equalization parameters ofthe wavelength-blocker such that it selectively attenuates certainwavelengths of the WDM optical signal. In some implementation, thecontroller 140 or the optical channel monitor 265 can use the powerspectral density information to set the wavelength blocker 345 to applyflattening or equalization to the optical signal to achieve a desiredflatness of the amplified signal; for example, the controller 140 or theoptical channel monitor 265 can set the wavelength blocker 345 tomaintain an output signal flatness of 1 dB across the signal bandwidth.In some implementations, the switchable-gain amplifier 300 or 400 canalso include a variable optical attenuator 350. The controller 140 orthe optical channel monitor 265 can adjust the variable opticalattenuator 350 to fine tune the overall gain of the ingressswitchable-gain amplifier 300.

The method 800 includes sending, using a wavelength-selective switch ofthe first ROADM block, an optical channel signal from the amplified WDMoptical signal to a second ROADM block of the plurality of ROADM blocks(stage 880). The switchable-gain amplifier 300 or 400 can send anamplified, but relatively spectrally flat, WDM optical signal to awavelength-selective switch (WSS) 225 of the first ROADM block 110. TheWSS block 225 can demultiplex the amplified WDM optical signal, and sendan optical channel signal from the amplified WDM optical signal to asecond ROADM block 110. In some implementations, a second WSS block 225of the second ROADM block 110 can multiplex the optical channel signalinto a second WDM optical signal. The second ROADM block 110 may alsoinclude amplifier stages employing switchable-gain amplifiers of asimilar technology to the amplifiers of the first ROADM block 110. Insome implementations, the equalization performed by the wavelengthblocker 345 can mitigate the effect of cumulative wavelength-dependentgain nonlinearity of the multiple amplifiers in series.

In some implementations, a plurality of noise loading amplifiers 235 canintroduce a noise loading signal into each unused port of thewavelength-selective switch 225. The wavelength-selective switch 225 cansend a second WDM optical signal to an egress switchable-gain amplifierof the ROADM block 110 such as the switchable-gain amplifier 300 or 400.The egress switchable-gain amplifier 300 or 400 can amplify the secondWDM optical signal. An output power detector 365 or 465 of the egressswitchable-gain amplifier 300 or 400 can detect a second output signalpower of the amplified second WDM optical signal. The controller 140 orthe optical channel monitor 265 can adjust gain and equalizationparameters of the egress switchable-gain amplifier based on the detectedsecond output signal power. The method 800 can perform additional stagesor few stages, or perform the stages in different orders, withoutdeparting from the scope of the disclosure.

FIG. 9 is a block diagram illustrating a general architecture for acomputer system 900 that may be employed to implement elements of thesystems and methods described and illustrated herein, according to anillustrative implementation. The computing system 900 may be utilized inimplementing the methods of operating, for example, a ROADM 100 shown inFIG. 1-8, or any component thereof including the controller 140 andother blocks/modules.

In broad overview, the computing system 910 includes at least oneprocessor 950 for performing actions in accordance with instructions andone or more memory devices 970 or 975 for storing instructions and data.The illustrated example computing system 910 includes one or moreprocessors 950 in communication, via a bus 915, with at least onenetwork interface controller 920 with one or more network interfaceports 922 connecting to one or more network devices 924, memory 970, andany other devices 980, e.g., an I/O interface. Generally, a processor950 will execute instructions received from memory. The processor 950illustrated incorporates, or is directly connected to, cache memory 975.

In more detail, the processor 950 may be any logic circuitry thatprocesses instructions, e.g., instructions fetched from the memory 970or cache 975. In many embodiments, the processor 950 is a microprocessorunit or special purpose processor. The computing device 900 may be basedon any processor, or set of processors, capable of operating asdescribed herein. In some implementations, the processor 950 can becapable of executing the methods of maintaining a user session during anaccess network handover shown in FIGS. 2-5. The processor 950 may be asingle core or multi-core processor. The processor 950 may be multipleprocessors. In some implementations, the processor 950 can be configuredto run multi-threaded operations. In some implementations, the processor950 may host one or more virtual machines or containers, along with ahypervisor or container manager for managing the operation of thevirtual machines or containers. In such implementations, the methodshown in FIG. 8 can be implemented within the virtualized orcontainerized environments provided on the processor 950.

The memory 970 may be any device suitable for storing computer readabledata. The memory 970 may be a device with fixed storage or a device forreading removable storage media. Examples include all forms ofnon-volatile memory, media and memory devices, semiconductor memorydevices (e.g., EPROM, EEPROM, SDRAM, and flash memory devices), magneticdisks, magneto optical disks, and optical discs (e.g., CD ROM, DVD-ROM,and Blu-ray® discs). A computing system 900 may have any number ofmemory devices 970. In some implementations, the memory 970 can includeinstructions corresponding to the method of operating a reconfigurableoptical add/drop multiplexer (ROADM) shown in FIG. 8. In someimplementations, the memory 970 supports virtualized or containerizedmemory accessible by virtual machine or container execution environmentsprovided by the computing system 910.

The cache memory 975 is generally a form of computer memory placed inclose proximity to the processor 950 for fast read times. In someimplementations, the cache memory 975 is part of, or on the same chipas, the processor 950. In some implementations, there are multiplelevels of cache 975, e.g., L2 and L3 cache layers.

The network interface controller 920 manages data exchanges via thenetwork interfaces 922 (also referred to as network interface ports).The network interface controller 920 handles the physical and data linklayers of the OSI model for network communication. In someimplementations, some of the network interface controller's tasks arehandled by the processor 950. In some implementations, the networkinterface controller 920 is part of the processor 950. In someimplementations, a computing system 910 has multiple network interfacecontrollers 920. The network interfaces 922 are connection points forphysical network links. In some implementations, the network interfacecontroller 920 supports wireless network connections and an interfaceport 922 is a wireless receiver/transmitter. Generally, a computingdevice 910 exchanges data with other network devices 924 via physical orwireless links to network interfaces 922. In some implementations, thenetwork interface controller 920 implements a network protocol such asEthernet.

The other network devices 924 are connected to the computing device 910via a network interface port 922. The other network devices 924 may bepeer computing devices, network devices, or any other computing devicewith network functionality. For example, a first network device 924 maybe a network device such as a hub, a bridge, a switch, or a router,connecting the computing device 910 to a data network such as theInternet.

The other devices 980 may include an I/O interface, external serialdevice ports, and any additional co-processors. For example, a computingsystem 910 may include an interface (e.g., a universal serial bus (USB)interface) for connecting input devices (e.g., a keyboard, microphone,mouse, or other pointing device), output devices (e.g., video display,speaker, or printer), or additional memory devices (e.g., portable flashdrive or external media drive). In some implementations, a computingdevice 900 includes an additional device 980 such as a coprocessor,e.g., a math co-processor can assist the processor 950 with highprecision or complex calculations.

Implementations of the subject matter and the operations described inthis specification can be implemented in digital electronic circuitry,or in computer software embodied on a tangible medium, firmware, orhardware, including the structures disclosed in this specification andtheir structural equivalents, or in combinations of one or more of them.Implementations of the subject matter described in this specificationcan be implemented as one or more computer programs embodied on atangible medium, i.e., one or more modules of computer programinstructions, encoded on one or more computer storage media forexecution by, or to control the operation of, a data processingapparatus. A computer storage medium can be, or be included in, acomputer-readable storage device, a computer-readable storage substrate,a random or serial access memory array or device, or a combination ofone or more of them. The computer storage medium can also be, or beincluded in, one or more separate components or media (e.g., multipleCDs, disks, or other storage devices). The computer storage medium maybe tangible and non-transitory.

The operations described in this specification can be implemented asoperations performed by a data processing apparatus on data stored onone or more computer-readable storage devices or received from othersources. The operations may be executed within the native environment ofthe data processing apparatus or within one or more virtual machines orcontainers hosted by the data processing apparatus.

A computer program (also known as a program, software, softwareapplication, script, or code) can be written in any form of programminglanguage, including compiled or interpreted languages, declarative orprocedural languages, and it can be deployed in any form, including as astand-alone program or as a module, component, subroutine, object, orother unit suitable for use in a computing environment. A computerprogram may, but need not, correspond to a file in a file system. Aprogram can be stored in a portion of a file that holds other programsor data (e.g., one or more scripts stored in a markup languagedocument), in a single file dedicated to the program in question, or inmultiple coordinated files (e.g., files that store one or more modules,sub programs, or portions of code). A computer program can be deployedto be executed on one computer or on multiple computers or one or morevirtual machines or containers that are located at one site ordistributed across multiple sites and interconnected by a communicationnetwork. Examples of communication networks include a local area network(“LAN”) and a wide area network (“WAN”), an inter-network (e.g., theInternet), and peer-to-peer networks (e.g., ad hoc peer-to-peernetworks).

The processes and logic flows described in this specification can beperformed by one or more programmable processors executing one or morecomputer programs to perform actions by operating on input data andgenerating output. The processes and logic flows can also be performedby, and apparatus can also be implemented as, special purpose logiccircuitry, e.g., an FPGA (field programmable gate array) or an ASIC(application specific integrated circuit).

While this specification contains many specific implementation details,these should not be construed as limitations on the scope of anyinventions or of what may be claimed, but rather as descriptions offeatures specific to particular implementations of particularinventions. Certain features that are described in this specification inthe context of separate implementations can also be implemented incombination in a single implementation. Conversely, various featuresthat are described in the context of a single implementation can also beimplemented in multiple implementations separately or in any suitablesub-combination. Moreover, although features may be described above asacting in certain combinations and even initially claimed as such, oneor more features from a claimed combination can in some cases be excisedfrom the combination, and the claimed combination may be directed to asub-combination or variation of a sub-combination.

Similarly, while operations are depicted in the drawings in a particularorder, this should not be understood as requiring that such operationsbe performed in the particular order shown or in sequential order, orthat all illustrated operations be performed, to achieve desirableresults. In certain circumstances, multitasking and parallel processingmay be advantageous. Moreover, the separation of various systemcomponents in the implementations described above should not beunderstood as requiring such separation in all implementations, and itshould be understood that the described program components and systemscan generally be integrated together in a single software product orpackaged into multiple software products.

References to “or” may be construed as inclusive so that any termsdescribed using “or” may indicate any of a single, more than one, andall of the described terms. The labels “first,” “second,” “third,” andso forth are not necessarily meant to indicate an ordering and aregenerally used merely to distinguish between like or similar items orelements.

Various modifications to the implementations described in thisdisclosure may be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and thegeneric principles defined herein may be applied to otherimplementations without departing from the spirit or scope of thisdisclosure. Thus, the claims are not intended to be limited to theimplementations shown herein, but are to be accorded the widest scopeconsistent with this disclosure, the principles and the novel featuresdisclosed herein.

What is claimed is:
 1. A reconfigurable optical add/drop multiplexer(ROADM) comprising: a plurality of interconnected ROADM blocks, eachROADM block including an egress switchable-gain amplifier, an outputpower detector coupled to an output of the egress switchable-gainamplifier, and a wavelength-selective switch coupled to an input of theegress switchable-gain amplifier; a plurality of noise loadingamplifiers, each noise loading amplifier coupled to a port of thewavelength-selective switch; a plurality of add/drop blocks coupled tothe wavelength-selective switches of the plurality of ROADM blocks; anda controller configured to: activate each noise loading amplifier thatis coupled to an unused port of the wavelength-selective switch; receivean indication of an output signal power from the output power detector;and adjust gain and equalization parameters of the egressswitchable-gain amplifier based on the received indication of the outputsignal power.
 2. The ROADM of claim 1, wherein: the egressswitchable-gain amplifier includes a low-gain fiber amplifier and ahigh-gain fiber amplifier; and adjusting the gain and equalizationparameters includes selectively routing an optical signal through thelow-gain fiber amplifier or the high-gain fiber amplifier.
 3. The ROADMof claim 1, wherein: the egress switchable-gain amplifier includes avariable-gain fiber amplifier; and adjusting the gain and equalizationparameters includes adjusting a gain of the variable-gain fiberamplifier.
 4. The ROADM of claim 1, wherein each ROADM block comprises:an ingress switchable-gain amplifier configured to receive awavelength-division multiplexed (WDM) signal over an optical fiber link;and a second output power detector coupled to an output of the ingressswitchable-gain amplifier, wherein the controller is configured to:receive an indication of a second output signal power from the secondoutput power detector, and adjust gain and equalization parameters ofthe ingress switchable-gain amplifier based on the indication of thesecond output signal power.
 5. The ROADM of claim 1, wherein: the outputpower detector can discern spectral power density; and the egressswitchable-gain amplifier includes an equalizer for flattening theamplifier's output across a frequency range of the amplifier.
 6. TheROADM of claim 5, wherein: the equalizer comprises a wavelength blocker;and adjusting the gain and equalization parameters includes selectivelyattenuating one or more wavelengths of an optical signal passing throughthe egress switchable-gain amplifier based on the spectral power densitydiscerned by the output power detector.
 7. The ROADM of claim 1,wherein: the wavelength-selective switch is a C-bandwavelength-selective switch; the egress switchable-gain amplifier is aC-band ingress switchable-gain amplifier; and each ROADM block comprisesan L-band wavelength-selective switch coupled to an L-band egressswitchable-gain amplifier.
 8. The ROADM of claim 1, wherein each ROADMblock comprises: an input power detector coupled to an input of theegress switchable-gain amplifier, wherein the controller is configuredto receive an indication of an input signal power from the input powerdetector, determine that the indication of the input signal power isoutside of a specified optical power range, and issue an alert based onthe determination.
 9. The ROADM of claim 8, wherein each ROADM blockcomprises: an optical time-domain reflectometer for monitoring acondition of an optical fiber link coupled to the ROADM block, whereinthe alert includes information regarding the condition of the opticalfiber link.
 10. The ROADM of claim 1, wherein each ROADM blockcomprises: a Raman amplifier coupled between an optical fiber link andthe ROADM block; a second input power detector coupled to an input ofthe Raman amplifier; and a second output power detector coupled to anoutput of the Raman amplifier.
 11. The ROADM of claim 1, wherein eachadd/drop block comprises: a multicast switch coupled to a plurality ofoptical fiber links; and an array of switchable-gain amplifiers coupledbetween the multicast switch and the wavelength selective switches,wherein: each amplifier of the array includes a second output powerdetector, and the controller is configured to receive indications of asecond output signal power from the second output power detectors andadjust respective gain parameters of each amplifier of the array basedon the received indications of the second output signal power.
 12. TheROADM of claim 1, wherein: the plurality of ROADM blocks and theplurality of add/drop blocks are interconnected via a fiber shufflepanel.
 13. A method of operating a reconfigurable optical add/dropmultiplexer (ROADM) comprising: introducing a noise loading signal intoeach unused port of a wavelength-selective switch of a ROADM block of aplurality of ROADM blocks using a plurality of noise loading amplifiers;sending a wavelength-division multiplexed (WDM) optical signal from thewavelength-selective switch to an egress switchable-gain amplifier ofthe ROADM block; amplifying the WDM optical signal using the egressswitchable-gain amplifier; detecting an output signal power of theamplified WDM optical signal using an output power detector coupled toan output of the egress switchable-gain amplifier; and adjusting, by acontroller connected to the ROADM block, gain and equalizationparameters of the egress switchable-gain amplifier based on the detectedoutput signal power.
 14. The method of claim 13, wherein: the egressswitchable-gain amplifier includes a low-gain fiber amplifier and ahigh-gain fiber amplifier; and adjusting the gain and equalizationparameters includes selectively routing the WDM optical signal throughthe low-gain fiber amplifier or the high-gain fiber amplifier.
 15. Themethod of claim 13, wherein: the egress switchable-gain amplifierincludes a variable-gain fiber amplifier; and adjusting the gain andequalization parameters includes adjusting a gain of the variable-gainfiber amplifier.
 16. The method of claim 13, comprising: receiving asecond WDM optical signal over an optical fiber link at the ROADM block;amplifying the second WDM optical signal using an ingressswitchable-gain amplifier; detecting a second output signal power of theamplified second WDM optical signal using a second output power detectorcoupled to an output of the ingress switchable-gain amplifier;adjusting, by the controller, gain and equalization parameters of theingress switchable-gain amplifier based on the detected second outputsignal power; and sending, using the wavelength-selective switch, anoptical channel signal from the amplified second WDM optical signal to asecond ROADM block of the plurality of ROADM blocks.
 17. The method ofclaim 13, wherein: detecting the output signal power includes discerningspectral power density of the amplified WDM optical signal, andadjusting the gain and equalization parameters includes selectivelyattenuating one or more wavelengths of the WDM optical signal passingthrough the egress switchable-gain amplifier based on the discernedspectral power density.
 18. The method of claim 13, comprising:detecting an input signal power of the WDM optical signal using an inputpower detector coupled to an input of the egress switchable-gainamplifier; determining, by the controller, that the indication of theinput signal power is outside of a specified optical power range; andissuing, by the controller, an alert based on the determination.
 19. Themethod of claim 18, comprising: monitoring, by an optical time-domainreflectometer, a condition of an optical fiber link coupled to the ROADMblock; and including information regarding the condition of the opticalfiber link in the alert.
 20. The method of claim 13, comprising:detecting a plurality of second output signal powers using a pluralityof second output power detectors, wherein each second output powerdetector is coupled to an amplifier of an array of switchable-gainamplifiers coupled between a multicast switch and thewavelength-selective switch; and adjusting respective gain parameters ofeach amplifier of the array based on the detected plurality of secondoutput signal powers.